The Arete - Princess-Consort Ch. 02

"Make me proud, Vos," Yonjax cajoled, then turned to the veteran with her, "This is Ser Gharntex, fourthborn of Barqix of House Trincedya. She's basically here to make sure the two of you don't make asses of yourselves in the tournament next week. You don't need to place especially well by any means - your inexperience is known - but any major faux pas would reflect poorly on my sister."

"Thank you. And welcome, Ser Gharntex," I was honestly grateful, "I know little about knightly etiquette and techniques."

"Well, let's get to the yard then," she recommended gruffly.

"I'll leave you all to it," Yonjax took her leave, "Caeli will be...unavailable...for the next few days, until after the tournament. So you should probably focus on that. And read these," she handed me the books she carried, texts on the customs and tactics of the knighthood.

"Oh," I knew better than to ask why, but my betrothed's absence certainly darkened my day, "That's a good idea then."

"Buck up, Taiglox," Yonjax encouraged me in my clear disappointment, "You'll see her a couple more times before the wedding. And after... Well, she's my sister, so I'll spare myself detail. Suffice to say you'll have plenty of time to see her."

So the lot of us went with Gharntex - whom I learned had a slight limp from a northern campaign a decade earlier that caused her to take a position as a hetaireia - to the yard and practiced for tournament events and ceremonies, day and night. The differences in the rules of combat weren't vast from the games in the army, only with slightly greater safeties in place against injuries. No striking the head, blunted weapons. Pouncy crap.

Also, no dominant sex for the victors, but that wasn't a motivating factor for me in any contest.

After three days of intense training, Gharntex declared us ready enough and returned to general tournament preparations.

We took the day to go into the city, my whole household of squire, corporal, and two servants. Apparently, no subset of them could both safely and competently complete any of our few chores.

I bought fabrics and seamstresses' tools from a clothier, a little wooden warhorse painted gray for Caeli from a random street carver, treats for everyone else from a random sweets seller, riding gear and shoes and gloves of various types and sizes from a leatherwright, and horseshoes and identification necklaces from a blacksmith. For Kemptrux and Vostiv only, we went to an armorer, weaponsmith, bowyer, and finally to the horsetrader.

I wasn't terribly concerned with riding or pack horses, as those could be borrowed with ease and often without recompense, however having one's own warhorse is invaluable. One's warhorse must be trusted more than any other comrade on the field. That faith and affinity can only be built through consistent training with and care for an animal who nearly becomes an extension of self.

So I set Kemptrux and Vostiv free amongst the high quality steeds to see which seemed to be capable of building mutual rapport. Meanwhile, I stood by to answer questions on advantages of one characteristic over another, which discolorations might be a concern, where lively met frenetic and where calm met listless, etc.

It's no mean task picking just the right warhorse. The animal is required to be strong enough to carry a rider, weapons, thick and full metal armor, and barding, but nimble enough to turnabout from a full gallop. Hearty enough to march for weeks to a battle, but spirited enough to charge repeatedly once the battle starts. Docile enough to be kept among soldiers and other horses, but vicious enough to bite, stomp, or kick the face off an enemy soldier. I particularly warned Vostiv to choose a horse a couple hands too tall for her at the moment, as she'd grow into him.

Vostiv finally settled on an enormous horse with a blue black coat, while Kemptrux picked a beautiful blood bay with white ankles and nose. Both stallions suited their personalities and would be excellent mounts for the spring season.

All the equipment and material I'd bought us would be delivered in the early morning the following day, but Kemptrux and Vostiv led their expensive horses away by cheap rope halters immediately. Nor could I have stopped them even at kopis-point from riding in the yard when we arrived back at the palace.

So I rode with them, my Savaran occasionally nipping a shoulder or hindquarter as one of the new horses crowded him too close on a charge or a turn. Importantly, the new horses were bred, broken, and trained to be warhorses, and so only needed practice. Just like all my other charges.

"Oi, Taiglox," Yonjax strode out onto the yard and called for me, "Did you buy these two knuckleheads warhorses?"

"Yes," I answered unashamedly as I dismounted to speak with my favorite future sister-in-law, "And armor and weapons."

"'However you want to waste your money,'" she echoed back to me with a laugh.

"I imagine I can afford to kit out the two of them," I held stubbornly. I probably spent more than strictly necessary or standard, but, "Women following me might fall to misfortune or mistake, but none will perish for lack of suitable quality equipment."

"I swear, I think half your conversation is quoting officers' guides, Taiglox," Yonjax laughed at me again, good-naturedly.

She's never led a company, or any fighting unit. Probably never been directly responsible for more soldiers than a single squire. For someone who's spent her whole life looking at women-at-arms as a higher species of servants, she's fairly open-minded, but not committed to the success and morale of combatants belonging to her the way a company officer is.

Still, that's primarily a philosophy of perspective and she's right that I frequently sound like a leadership manual, "I suppose I do," I conceded harmlessly.

"Well, if you can tear yourself away for the evening, there's a banquet in two hours for visiting great nobles," Yonjax smirked as I nodded a begrudging assent, "You're to be sat next to Caeli, so maybe clean up and wear something appropriate?"

"Of course," I agreed joyously to the opportunity to spend time with Caeli, "Let me put up Savaran."

"You're certainly not overworking my little cousin," Yonjax chided me and then yelled at my new squire, "Vos, come over her and take care of Ser Taiglox's horse. From now on, whenever she dismounts, you dismount and see if she needs her horse led. Understood?"

"Yes, ser," Vostiv immediately trotted over, Kemptrux right behind her.

"You do her no favors by not demanding she perform the duties of a squire," Yonjax continued, loud enough to be heard by my squire and guardswoman, "We all had to be in service to a knight on our way to knighthood - hard work and long hours - and we're all better for it."

I nodded assent again and headed up to my apartments, with Yonjax still oddly at my side. She followed me into my room as well.

Then she watched intently as I undressed.

That was weird. Not disturbing, as I'd spent too long in the army and without privacy to be shy about my body. Not embarrassing, as I know I'm well formed and in excellent condition. (Nor did I think she was likely trying to seduce me, as I'm not her type and I'd be a singularly cruel choice given my betrothal to her dear natural sister.) So it was simply, and very, weird.

"Wow, so that's how you're gonna play this?" Yonjax asked as she openly stared at me in an evaluatory manner, "You're just going to ignore my stalking you in here?"

"I'd planned on it," I began a quick wash from the basin, getting the dust and sweat of riding off me, "'Plan' might be an overstatement. You're being so boldly bloody fucking strange that I'd decided not to acknowledge it a'tall."

Yonjax guffawed, "I promised Caeli that I would get a good look and report back. She was rather insistent and incessant."

"Oh," That was even weirder, but a good weird. I guess. I turned to face her, "Well, I'll be putting on clothes now. Was there anything else you needed to see?"

"No. I think I'm good," Yonjax shrugged, "By the way, if you think this was uncomfortable, keep in mind that now I'll have to describe in great detail to my little sister why you'd be attractive as a lover."

"Yeeah...that would be worse," I concurred, "You know, I could just go be naked somewhere with an unobstructed view for her?"

"Believe me, that was the first choice for all concerned, but it was deemed inappropriately offensive to the modesty of a royal maiden," she shrugged again. "So here we are."

I pulled my fine tunic over my head, "Deemed by whom?"

Yonjax snorted.

"Oh," the Queen, "I'm sure that's proper then."

Yonjax shook her head. "You know she's not infallible?"

I pulled on my leggings and said nothing.

"Stony loyalty to the crown?"

"I'd not presume to disagree with the Crown regarding such things, no." I clasped on my ridiculous cloak. Yonjax, of course, wore one with the same design in the royal colors.

She chuckled, "Let's go to dinner."

I stowed the little wooden horse in one of the folds of my tunic and followed her to the banquet.

The banquet hall was huge. Nearly 100 people sat with the Queen at the high table, but there were eight lower tables for other guests, each seating 40 or so.

Each of the lower tables was headed by one of the princesses or a close cousin, and so there Yonjax and I parted company as she sat at the head of the third highest of the lower tables. I was seated at one of the last tables, at Caeli's right hand.

She wore her dark hair down, flowing like her deep purple gown. A delicate golden circlet atop her head glinted in the light of hundreds of candles, as did her shining dark eyes. But nothing she wore approached the brightness and allure of her dazzling smile. I only wanted to sit there beside her and drink in her beauty and warmth.

"Taiglox?" She rested her hand gently on mine. My skin burned and my muscles tensed, fighting the urge to touch her back.

"Yes?" I won the fight and hung on her every word for the remainder of the evening.

"I saw you riding with Vostiv and your guardswoman this afternoon, but you got them new horses?"

"I did," I fished the carved gray horse from the fold in my tunic, "I got you one, too. A little Savaran."

Her smile widened as she accepted my token. "Thank you."

She wore a necklace of large amethysts worth more than I'd earn in my entire career as an officer, so the relative value didn't impress her. (Nor - likely - would have the necklace, as she was raised to such luxuries.) She simply appreciated that I saw something she'd like during my travels and brought it back for her.

"You are very welcome," I beamed back at her, "I can get you a real horse of your own, if you'd like? Maybe a gentle riding mare?"

"I don't get to ride all that often," she admitted, "It'd be wrong to have a horse cooped up so much."

"You can ride as often as you'd like, once we're married," I offered.

"Until you leave for the spring campaign. You and all my big sisters." Her pretty face fell.

"Don't think of such things," I put my hand on hers involuntarily, sincerely wishing her not to be sad, "It'll be months until then and we'll be here with you in the meantime."

She smiled again and looked at our hands, making no move to end the intimate contact.

Equally involuntarily, I considered the fact that she'd asked for a description of me naked. Were there any way to introduce the topic without mortifying her, I'd have absolutely brought it up. Instead, I simply looked at our joined hands with her.

"Ahem," the rather hefty bejeweled woman to my right interrupted us, "Please pass that bread?"

I lifted the platter and handed it to her. Looking around, I realized that foods were being passed and ladled out throughout the banquet hall and servants were hustling about filling goblets with red wine. We both took part in the boisterous sharing of food, but no one had begun actually eating.

I at least had the good sense not to start eating until everyone else did, but that's pretty much where my confidence with my table manners ended. I recognized and knew the purpose of about a third of the cutlery. About half the guests had napkins tucked in their collars, a few - including Caeli - across their laps, and some like me had them still by their plates.

Moderately concerned, I turned to my future bride for help. "So, I'd rather not be an embarrassment at your table. Can you teach me?"

"Yes, Taiglox," she answered and seemed pleased that she could be a help to me, "But I have to say a thing first, once the Queen and everybody stands then sits."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry just," everyone I could see stood at once, "stand and then sit when I sit."

I stood and the Queen said something, but I couldn't hear what, then Caeli spoke in a clear voice, "Welcome friends to my mother's house. Please be refreshed by food and wine from her table. Please enjoy the favor of our house. Please, friends, sit. Eat and drink."

We all sat and did just that. Caeli showed me how to cut and eat pomegranates and mangoes, how to crack open and eat various crustaceans, when to pour yellow sauce onto a baked purple potato, and the proper way to shovel in some diabolically complex pastas using two long tined forks and a broad spoon.

Although I recognized some of the many many dishes, my childhood home was in the bread basket and my travels were in the army. Neither exposed me to the fine foods at a palace banquet. But Caeli showed endless patience in explaining the origins and properties of everything we ate.

Late in the night, we'd had what must've been our 6th or 7th tiny dessert - a spicy rice pudding into which you mixed cracker crumbles at the table so they'd not become soggy and poured warm cream so it'd be fresh - I expressed my gratitude to her, "Thank you, Caeli. I'd be utterly lost without you," I looked into her deep dark eyes and smiled fondly, "I appreciate you taking the time to show me how to perform in your world."

"You're welcome, Ser Taiglox," she answered formally, then she giggled, "My dancing bear has become my eating bear?"

I leaned in, hand resting on her forearm, "Wanna hear me growl?"

Her breath caught, "Yes."

I do not tell a lie. At that very moment, a pomegranate hit me in the back of my head.

Turning quickly, I saw Yonjax staring me down and wagging her finger at me. She was the last conscious woman at her table and I didn't see any of my other future in-laws still about.

I don't know when the rest of the royal family had called it a night. Most of the hall was empty, with the majority of the remaining occupants passed out drunk either on or under the long tables and benches.

I was drunk on Caeli, but I took the pomegranate missile warning, leaned back, and kept my hands to myself.

We talked instead. Another hour passed with us discussing everything and nothing.

Eventually, Yonjax sauntered over, "Time to call it a night, Caeli. Come with me."

"Already?" she pouted.

"Already!" Yonjax snorted and escorted my beautiful princess away, "It'll be dawn in a couple hours. Now come along. You can watch your favorite bear tomorrow afternoon in the opening ceremony."

The opening ceremony at the massive arena outside town had the eyes of the city and most of the provinces. Certainly my whole household attended, although only as spectators for Kemptrux, Imogen, and poor tag-a-long Miriam. Vostiv and I took our places among the assembled participants, near the end of a procession of hundreds of knights and squires.

We all paraded at an extremely slow pace through the cheering crowds in town and into the cheering crowds in the "arena," which was more honestly a huge corral around a flat field with tons of wooden stands that sat thousands of thrilled spectators. The fanciest stand sat all the nobles not in the tournament, with a box built into the top for the Queen and royal family.

I found the entire experience effete, but there was a high point when we passed the royal box and Caeli got to see me wearing her favor again.

Vostiv, though only a few feet away from me, was having a very different day.

Despite my low birth placing us far behind where her high birth would naturally place her in the grand parade of armored and mounted nobles, Vostiv's pride all but filled the air around her. Beyond riding her new black stallion - named Stygian with all the creative poetics of an excited twelve year old - it was her first event as a prospective knight.

We'd spent the whole day polishing and preparing her new armor and arms. Since Vostiv's a growing girl, I'd bought her full length chainmail with plating on the back, chest, and forearms and with a cap helm and hanging chain fringe. It was a bit of a reversal of roles for me to be getting my squire ready, sewing in her badge and colors and being sure that the leather strappings were all buckled and tightened right.

Still, her riding at my side with such confidence was worth it. She'd worked her entire short life to be on the path to knighthood and marching among her new peers in style mattered.

That was it though. The whole damned afternoon was just a slow ride to nowhere and an eventual return home.

The coming days had combat events, thankfully. I'd been instructed to sign up for no less than three, so I chose mounted archery, jousting, and the melee afoot, knowing that I'd acquit myself well and pleased that they'd be on the first, second, and third days. I'd precious little training in javelins, slings, hammers, crossbows, thrown menaulions, or any of the other disciplines I'd practiced briefly at the Academy. Not that I'd ever jousted at all, but I'm given to believe that the jousting event is less optional than the others.

There was a mounted melee as well that I might have expected to fare well in, but I wouldn't risk Savaran in chaotic combat unnecessarily and didn't like the moral quandary of risking another's steed where I wouldn't risk my own.

Mounted archery - my first and only event that day - didn't have a sole winner, but rather tiers of success for more and more distant targets. After the final and most difficult shot, only about a dozen of us were left of the original hundreds of contestants and we thereby could be considered winners.

Therein lay the greatest real difference between me and the majority of my fellow tournament contenders. Their talent was not in question, but there's an inherent difference in marksmanship developed to excel in competition and in marksmanship developed to win battles. Professional soldiers live and die collectively by our martial skill and I wouldn't even place in our archery games against our sharpshooters.

Still, Caeli could see me and be proud at least. After all, I was only in the tournament to be a more eligible suitor for a princess.

I couldn't see her face or anything, but I did hope she was proud.

The rest of the day's events didn't involve me, so Vostiv and I returned Savaran and Stygian to the smaller corral outside the tents that were set up for the participants. And we whiled away the rest of the day with our fellow tourney contenders.

Tents were divided by House, but since Vostiv served as my squire, we loitered at the Laerdya tent versus Miwirdya. Expectedly enough, she knew far more of my cousins than I did however and had much more in common background-wise with the other highborn loiterers.

"So I hear you are marrying my former intended," a tall knight in expensive blue tinged plate approached me, "I'm General Trogox, thirdborn of Laerdya."

I recognized that name, certainly. And not favorably.

"General," I nodded.

"Fair enough," she laughed, "I do want to congratulate you on your bowmenship today though. You were the only House member to make the final round. Makes us all look better."